Family Friend

As Emily Kerstetter and her fellow church mission members enjoyed a meal at an Ethiopian restaurant in Uganda, the 16-year-old Ellicott City resident told her new friends that she wanted to stay and work through the rest of the summer. She had already extended her trip once, opting out of her original flight that departed five days earlier. She was ready for more. Minutes later, a suicide bomber struck outside the restaurant, one of two attacks in the Ugandan capital of Kampala that killed at least 74 people and wounded 85 others, including Emily, her grandmother and three other members of her group.

They remembered Mary-Marguerite Kohn's enthusiasm and service, even her style - one mourner recalled "a large, bright yellow brimmed hat, terrific dangling earrings. " There was hardly an empty seat Tuesday inside the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Baltimore, as family, friends, colleagues and congregants packed a memorial service for Kohn, who died from gunshot wounds sustained from a Thursday shooting at her church in Ellicott City. Kohn, 62, the church's co-rector, and Brenda Brewington, 59, the church's administrative assistant, were shot inside St. Peter's Episcopal Church offices.

As Emily Kerstetter and her fellow church mission members enjoyed a meal at an Ethiopian restaurant in Uganda, the 16-year-old Ellicott City resident told her new friends that she wanted to stay and work through the rest of the summer. She had already extended her trip once, opting out of her original flight that departed five days earlier. She was ready for more. Minutes later, a suicide bomber struck outside the restaurant, one of two attacks in the Ugandan capital of Kampala that killed at least 74 people and wounded 85 others, including Emily, her grandmother and three other members of her group.

Tucked into a strip mall on a busy stretch of Belair Road in Overlea, Frank's Pizza & Pasta seems like a million other pizza joints. It's worth a closer look. Owner Armando Buontempo deftly handles traditional dishes from his native Italy, revealing a passion for Italian food. Whether he's behind the stove or chatting up his regulars, Buontempo radiates a friendly enthusiasm he shares with the rest of the staff — which includes his wife and two children. (Frank's was always a family affair; the restaurant is named after Buontempo's cousin and original co-owner, who passed away in the late 1980s)

On the day before he was charged with first-degree murder, George Huguely V walked the fairways and greens of Charlottesville's exclusive Farmington Country Club, the Blue Ridge Mountains at his back. The University of Virginia men's lacrosse team, ranked best in the nation, had just won the last regular-season game of Huguely's senior year. The 22-year-old and some teammates had gathered at the club with their fathers to celebrate the storybook ending and to look forward to the NCAA tournament.

Philadelphia police as well as dozens of friends and relatives were searching Sunday for Roswell Friend, a 22-year-old recent graduate of Temple University who went missing last week after going for a run. A native of Cockeysville who attended Dulaney High School, Friend was last seen around 7 p.m. Thursday. Police searched his home near the university and found his wallet and car keys. Only his house keys were missing. Unabyrd Wadhams, a family friend, said Friend was an athlete at Dulaney and also at Temple, where he ran cross country.

After deliberating six hours yesterday, a Carroll County Circuit Court jury convicted a 43-year-old Westminster man of sexually molesting two of his nieces and the daughter of a family friend more than 50 times over the last five years.The seven-woman, three-man jury returned guilty verdicts on three counts of child abuse, two counts of second-degree sex offense, four counts of third-degree sex offense, two counts of perverted practice and five counts of battery.The defendant showed no emotion as the verdicts were read.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the son of a 91-year-old woman found stabbed to death in her Northeast Baltimore home was a close friend of her family and called the crime "devastating. " "I have known her son since I was a child — he was close friends with my family, so this is devastating. It's senseless," Rawlings-Blake said at a Thursday morning event. "My hope is that the work that was done, the forensic work, we'll be able to figure out who did this very soon and bring that person to justice.

A 14-year-old boy was charged as an adult with murder last night after a 12-year-old boy who was shot Thursday night died at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.Officers charged Anthony Jawara Mayo of the 2300 block of E. Biddle St. after Terrell Antwant Forbes died at the Hopkins center at 6:30 p.m., according to a police spokesman.The suspect, known on the street as "Wa Wa," was being held at the Eastern District station.Terrell was shot at his home in the 2400 block of E. Fayette St. A weapon has not been found, said Agent Robert W. Weinhold Jr., the city police spokesman.

Upon request, Alfred Goodman Sr. would pull out his medals and show them to anyone interested in learning about his stint in the Army. Goodman, 61, lost both his legs fighting during the Vietnam War, but he cherished his time in the service. "He was proud," said Edward Carter, a longtime family friend. "And he just showed me his Purple Heart" on Wednesday. Goodman, his son by the same name and a 19-year-old woman were killed early Thursday morning in a fire in the 3500 block of Woodbrook Ave., a block away from Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore.

If the Ocean City city council has its way, the music headliner at this year's Dew Tour will be less Kid Cudi and more Demi Lovato, or worse. Last week, t he city council approved the return of Dew Tour, the skateboarding, BMX and surfing competition that takes over the boardwalk for four days starting August 16. The approval from the city council was a foregone conclusion. In its debut at Ocean City last August, Dew Tour brought over 70,000 people and lots of tourism money to the resort town.

As the bus rumbled through the streets of East Baltimore, Dana Seibert proudly displayed his handcrafted creation of bright green and orange paper. It read: "My homemade Christmas card to a very special mom. " Seibert, a downtown resident who was taking the No. 35 bus on the way to see his mother, was one of many Baltimoreans whose Christmas activities were made possible by the Maryland Transit Administration — whose employees were working on a morning when many Marylanders were home opening presents under the tree.

Friends and family of Ellison McCall Jr., who was brutally beaten and set on fire after earlier intervening in a bar fight in Northeast Baltimore, held a vigil Sunday to celebrate his life and press for answers on the year anniversary of his death , The Sun's Tricia Bishop reports. "This was a good guy," said friend Floyd Benton Jr. "He had no enemies. " McCall, 30, was working as a bartender at the New Haven Lounge a year ago and got into an altercation with some patrons, friends told The Baltimore Sun at the time.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's goal of attracting 10,000 new families to the city is laudable ("The mayor's mission," Dec. 11). Making families a crucial part of her inaugural address and upcoming initiatives will help Baltimore become a more vibrant community where families can thrive. By allotting resources to improve public schools, libraries and other family services, Baltimore's future as a family-friendly destination as a place to reside, not just visit, will be secured.

The man convicted of killing a Towson gas station owner for money apologized Tuesday in Harford County Circuit Court to the victim's family and friends, saying "I'm sorry to the last fiber of my being. " The apology came shortly before a jury was to begin deliberating whether Walter P. Bishop Jr. will be sentenced to death or life in prison. Bishop, 29, of Baltimore County, stood at the defense table in a black suit and a lavender shirt open at the collar, his hands clasped before him, his face turning red as he told those close to William "Ray" Porter that he did not expect they would forgive him. But, he said, "I'm sorry you lost your son, your loved one because of what I did with my own hands.

Philadelphia police as well as dozens of friends and relatives were searching Sunday for Roswell Friend, a 22-year-old recent graduate of Temple University who went missing last week after going for a run. A native of Cockeysville who attended Dulaney High School, Friend was last seen around 7 p.m. Thursday. Police searched his home near the university and found his wallet and car keys. Only his house keys were missing. Unabyrd Wadhams, a family friend, said Friend was an athlete at Dulaney and also at Temple, where he ran cross country.

A 10-year-old girl who had been reported missing after leaving home Christmas Day returned unharmed to her East Baltimore home yesterday, and police said no foul play was involved.Eugenia Ransom showed up at her home in the 200 block of S. Chapel St. about 5:15 p.m. after a family friend -- a 50-year-old man who is the son of her baby sitter -- dropped her off near her home, police said.The child wasn't injured and had not been abducted, police said.Her mother told police last night that the ordeal amounted to a misunderstanding between the man and the family, investigators said.

In the hours, then days, after her teenage sister went missing during a Christmas visit, Deena Barnes remembers the gripping panic that took over — staying up for two days straight, on the edge of the couch, waiting to catch a glimpse of 16-year-old Phylicia returning to the Northwest Baltimore apartment from which she vanished without a trace. Six months later, the family is without answers. Though Phylicia's body was recovered in April from a river 45 miles northeast of Baltimore, the case remains open, and family members fear the trail is growing cold.

Irene Logan's death leaves nearly 30 people without their family's matriarch. For three children, eight grandchildren and more than a dozen great-grandchildren, Logan was the family's bedrock. "She loved taking care of people," said Irene Ushry, Logan's daughter. Ushry found her 91-year-old mother, stabbed to death, on the floor of their small kitchen upon returning from work about 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. Family members gathered outside the house as police investigated into the evening.